Bike Club May Get Its Wheels

Fun, Recreation Are The Goals

September 26, 2003|By Lisa Bolivar Special Correspondent

Albert Richwagen and Judy Grillo are peddling a new idea in Delray Beach: They want to start a bicycle club.

Richwagen, owner of Richwagen's Delray Bike and Sport on Southeast Second Avenue, said he and Grillo began talking about forming a bicycle club for local enthusiasts earlier this year after a Pedestrian Advisory Board meeting. Richwagen is a member of that board.

"We're trying to put a bike club together that is more about recreational riders, families, kids and parents who want to do historical bike tours," Richwagen said. "We want to do charity rides."

Grillo is the marketing genius behind the effort, Richwagen said.

Grillo, 47, made sure that tools, such as signup sheets, were in place at the bike shop, and she has been writing press releases and posting information sheets on message boards around town.

Although many Delray Beach cyclists are members of other clubs, Richwagen said he hopes they also will be interested in a hometown, smaller version.

The Delray Beach club should appeal to a less competitive membership than found in places such as West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, Grillo said.

"Part of the reason I haven't joined a bike group in the past is a lot of the riders are a bit more aggressive than I want to be," she said. "So we want to appeal to the families out there that don't want to do the 30 miles."

While Grillo spreads the word about the club, Richwagen is dedicated to making walking and bicycle riding the preferred mode of transport.

That is why the board of the Delray Beach Pedestrian/Bicycle Task Team made recommendations to the City Commission that bike lanes and riding and walking conditions in the city be improved, especially along State Road A1A.